JABBERWOCK ONLINE

An Interaction with Professor Madhu Grover, HoD of the English Department

 

In your response to our request for the interview, you said that that you have “various other things on your [sic] mind”. So what’s the most vexing of all these things?

Headship! (laughing) And I’m hoping that it would get out of my hair very soon. So, that’s it. That’s the most (vexing) thing that’s on my mind.

 

What’s your first memory of LSR?

I was just awfully nervous at the interview- like I’m now- because that’s the first thing that you do when you come in. You actually have to be cleared to teach here. So, I’m not very good at interviews, as you can see now. I am totally nervous.

 

Is there anything that you still remember from what was said in the interview?

No. Nothing at all. I just blanked out completely. You know, it’s like a dark period in my life. But subsequently, I was helped by a lot of people. My colleagues were very good and very nice; the senior colleagues, most of whom are not here around. Some of them have passed away onto other domains, some of them have gone the way of all flesh. They have been very helpful, very cooperative. I’m hoping that I’m like that now to others.

 

What’s the weirdest problem that you’ve had to face as the HoD?

Okay...I don’t know. There’s not one; there are several- having to deal with people who are senior to you and perhaps not very comfortable with the fact that they’ve to be told things and so on. I am not very good with dealing with hierarchy. I am not a very hierarchy-minded person myself. So, I don’t know how to be terribly diplomatic. So perhaps, that is always a problem.

 

What has been the high point of being the HoD?

None. (laughing) This is the second time around that I’m the Head of Department so it’s not like this is the first-hand experience. I did it several years back and in one’s career, to do it twice over is not very pleasant- to say the least.

 

Which text do you like to teach the most and why?

Rape of the Lock-Pope, 18th century. 18th century is my strong love- the poetry. I love Austen as well; Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (Musing) Did I teach that to you people? No? Perhaps to the passing out lot I did. Since this is the farewell issue, it might come to their minds. But I like teaching literature, you know. I love the literary greats...Dickens. Dickens, I love.

 

If not a professor, what would you have loved to be?

A gardener! I love to get my hands into soil and like to see things grow. But I also might have gone the way of journalism, except that I was not very au fait with current affairs and I was not really reading the newspaper. So they packed me up there and they sent me off saying, “You can’t take this” because I flunked my written test and topped my interview. Because I talked only about literature, so they asked me to go back to literature. So I did my M.Phil and came to teach here.

 

What would be the plausible title of your autobiography and/or biography?

I wouldn’t write one.

 

But what if someone was to write one?

No, I would actually prevent them from writing one because one lives every moment. You can’t possibly record things and I find it really difficult to recover things from the past. I don’t have an elephant’s memory at all. So I like to forget what’s gone and what’s not pleasant; I like to hold onto things which are good. And of course, memories of students- nice students- especially the ones that I have gelled with.

 

According to you, which is the most overrated classic?

 

I don’t know. I would say Shakespeare but I so love Shakespeare that I can’t possibly say that. There are so many facets to Shakespeare’s writings that you can’t get to the end of it.Shakespeare is overrated, I would say still, because every time you tell people that you’re teaching English literature, the first thing that they will ask you is, “Achcha, yeh Shakespeare padhate ho?” I say that I can’t teach him because I find it so difficult to teach Shakespeare. It’s so complex.Definitely not overrated but overrated by the public, perhaps.

 

Which is that one book you could never get tired of reading, and why?

Not one actually; there are several. I am an active re-reader. So I keep re-reading books.

 

Which is the last book that you read again then?

Probably something from Dickens. I don’t remember right now... off-hand ... but I recently picked up Dickens- Pickwick Papers or something. I read things for pleasure mostly. I don’t read just because I have to teach texts. I am always reading something entirely reading. Right now, I am reading George Gissing. Brilliant writer, I think. New Grub Street- you must read it.

 

We want you to respond to the following with one word only.

Poetry.

 Powerful.

 

The English Department. 

Pleasant.

 

LSR.

Fine?

 

The Twilight Series. 

Never read.

 

Chetan Bhagat.

Disgusting.

 

Please share an anecdote about the graduating class.

Not one anecdote. I would say that they’ve really been a set of people who I’ve learnt a lot from. They’ll remember that they’ve suggested things to read- Batman comics and other things. They actually brought me a complete issue. I read lot of stuff that they suggested to me. They will know who they are... the people with whom I have usually had such kinds of conversations. So one learns a lot and it’s a very bright lot. 

 

Do you have any message for the graduating class?

I hope they do interesting things, like start a revolution or something. You know, in LSR we keep saying, “ let’s start a revolution” but if someone does start a revolution, I don’t know if that will be accepted. So, they should go out and do interesting new things!